I was out on my weekly group ride today, and noticed everyone on clinchers except me. I am currently using Shimano 7850 C24 Carbon Tubulars w/ Continental GP4000. (about 1000km). I have not flatted, but am noticing my clincher buddies have the occasional flat tire. Questions:
1. Is my tubular tires less prone to flats than clincher tire tubes?
2. I carry a can of Vittoria Pit Stop sealant, but failing this can i ride home on a flatted tubular without wrecking the rim?
I am planning to purchase a second set of carbon tubulars and mount Continental Competition tires. Thanks.

http://www.analyticcycling.com/
near the bottom of the page, thee is the tire mishap analysis report.

I don't really see how you wouldn't mangle your rim at least a little bit if you had to limp home like that. That's why I always ride with both a can of pitstop and a spare tubular (unless racing, of course).

It is obviously very dependent upon road conditions, but in my experience of over 25 years on tubulars, tubulars flat far less than clinchers. The reason is down to rough roads that make pinch-flats more likely on clinchers. Riding style and ethic has something to do with it, too. If you live in an area without a glass recycling programme, you probably will still have a lot of puncture flats.

My tubulars flat 5x more than my clinchers over the exact same roads on exact same days, no matter what everyone here says tubulars are very thin-skinned and fragile, nice to ride but extremely prone to puncture. Clinchers are far more durable, thick skinned and puncture resistant not to mention cheaper to repair. And I ride in a "clean" mostly glass-free park, tubs flat about once/2 months, clinchers almost never.

bring on the hate... but its true over 2 years now consistently

Hi,



For starters you should compare apples to apples and pears to pears.

The only advantage in the puncture department tubulars (as a genus) hold over clinchers is that they're far less prone to snake bite type of punctures.
Other than that there's no, no technical reason whatsoever why one should puncture more or less than the other. Fact.

So, go hate yourself now.

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

I run light tubulars (CX's, though I will change them because they are too fragile) on my race wheels for my good bike and they puncture more often than my wet bike with Gatorskins Clinchers, but my normal wheels for my good bike (with Tubular Gatorskins and sealant) have never punctured (touch wood) , despite doing double the k's than the 2 put together

So yes I believe you have had more trouble than with clinchers, but on a like for like the comparison is probably not so clear

Flats are always luck-of-the-draw but I think the tubs have thinner treads.

Fed - You are always so pleasant, your wife must love you. I was referring to what I've often read here that so many people think their tubs are much more puncture resistant than clinchers, I have not found it to be the case, if by "snakebite" you mean pinch-flats then obviously tubs would not have such issues but I was referring to to generic glass-through-tread flats. Now go kiss yourself you silly man

vittoria open corsa cx (320tpi) will flatten more often than gatorskin tubular
vittoria corsa cx(320) is as prone to punctures as my ultremos, and as my force attack combo. when i flat a tub the only thing that i have to do is put some stan's, if the sealan would not do i will ride to the closest bike shop that has cheap tubulars, or if i am close to home (-6miles) i go back. cuts by large object means that the tire is trashed, wheter is a tub or clincher. racing clincher have thinner threads, trainning clinchers have thicker threads and the same applies to tubs. i am willing to bet that continental gp tub or clincher have the same threads.

Waiting for the REAL fighting to start.
Owen: Really.....don't ride that rim flat, dude.
Fully deflate your punctured tubbie, that way you can get the WHOLE pitstop/stans into the tyre in 1 go. <- do that. Follow it up with a CO2 and
:
1.orientate the hole to the lowest point to aid the stans/pitstop arriving at where it needs to be then see how you go but if it's visibly still pouring out foam/slime then:

2. Use the tape you had to hold your pitstop on your bike (or if it wasn't taped to the frame, but was very velominati-like in your back pocket like it should be) find a mate with insulation tape around their spare inner tube and get that hole wrapped over nice and tight asap. Open your brake and do NOT use it as it will grab at the tape. Wait 2 mins.....dump in another CO2 if you need to and have one (riding with no mates?....become nicer and ride with mates!!!...all REAL mates carry CO2 and will donate their last one to your cause).
If you feel even 1 single bump from the road after this.....get off your bike and get on your cell phone. After your real mates stop laughing and there is silence...call your G/F, Partner, Wife, Parent or Grandparent that will give you a lift. Don't forget to replace your mates CO2's
Here endeth the sermon
Now, on other matters: Fdegrove is right re tubbies (as per usual).....the real difference for puncture resistence is in pinch-flatting ASSUMING ALL OTHER THINGS ARE EQUAL ( such as thread-count and if there is a PRB or not etc) and re Fdegrove being a bit harsh at times......after mastering Vlaams, Waloon etc he has perhaps plenty of skill in those languages in which to woo his wife but perhaps not enough to woo you in English, Git (some)....and yeah...snakebite=pinchflat due to the double pinchmarks sometimes resembling a double fanged bite as you too may have noticed.

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Used to race....got too wrinkly and old Updated: Racing again! Thought this was unlikely! Eventually, I may even have a decent race!

I've never understood the whole pinch flats argument in the tub/clincher debate. I even saw someone draw their final conclusions on the matter based on snakebites on tririg. In all my years of riding I dont think I have ever had a snakebite on my road bike, and only once on my commuter bike when I rode into a pothole, downhill, at night, which totalled my front wheel. I weigh 76kg (over 80 when I started riding on the road, and I ride 23/24mm tyres at about 100psi.

What do these people do do get so many pinch flats?

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Snacking on carrot sticks - Where did it all go so wrong?
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Finsbury Park CC

In the frozen wasteland that is Canada for 70%, the roads become frost-heaved in just a few winters. Many of the roads become rutted and cracked, becoming a pinch-flat nightmare. In a fast group, you are a bit dependent on the guy(s) in front of you. I guess it is like riding on cobbles without any of the fun.

Like Geoff (above), the roads over here aren't the best and the potholes you don't see are the usual cause of pinch-flats. Proper tyre inflation and training alone (so you are not behind others who periodically forget to point at potholes etc) and training during the day definitely helps reduce "unexpected impacts" but if you do enough K's, eventually, you'll get the odd one over here. The last one I got was from misjudging a corner (badly) in the wet playing the "who can brake the latest?" game with a mate......got wide on the exit to the corner and really walloped a cat-eye* in the middle of the road (yep....scary misjudgement).....aided by riding my tyres at a lower pressure to ease my ancient back complaints....down she went. That was on a clincher. I don't think I've ever pinch-flatted a Tubbie but most K's nowadays are on my clinchers.

[more correctly, half a cat-eye.....NZ roads are a bit rough]

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Used to race....got too wrinkly and old Updated: Racing again! Thought this was unlikely! Eventually, I may even have a decent race!

Hi,



The point being that, all else kept equal, pinch flats are in essence the only difference between the two type of tyres when considering puncture resistance.

Ciao,

_________________
Being a snob is an expensive hobby.

overheard at a recent fast pace ride "your mamma rides clinchers"

regarding flats, would it not be more accurate to compare specific tires? "All clinchers" and "all tubulars" statements lead to some silly comparisons IMO. Some folks are also just more flat prone no matter what they ride. I seldom get flats....however I seem to crash more often then most

Ride whatever works for you and accept that it may not be the best for me.
Have a nice day

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WW Velocipedist Gargantuan